Deployable cup holder

ABSTRACT

A selectively deployable cup holder assembly comprises a telescoping bezel assembly having a plurality of supports which are operably coupled to a housing in a slideably coupled arrangement, such that the telescoping bezel assembly is movable between deployed and stowed positions relative to the housing, such that the vehicle occupant can deploy the telescoping bezel assembly to provide extended vertical support for an item to be stored in a cup holder assembly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a deployable cup holder assembly for use within a vehicle interior and, more particularly, to a deployable cup holder assembly having a housing operably coupled to a deployable telescoping bezel assembly, wherein the bezel is movable between deployed and stowed positions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As automotive interior styling progresses, there has been an increased desire for unique and stylish solutions for cup holder assemblies which are versatile to meet the unique needs of the vehicle occupant. For example, some vehicle consoles are located in high positions relative to the driver's or passenger's seated position and other vehicle consoles are located in lower positions. Where the console surface is low, there may be a desire for a cup holder to rise from the top finished surface of the console. By integrating the cup holder functional features into a retractable assembly disposed on the top finished panel of the console, a clean and finished interior appearance can be provided while having a cup holder function when the vehicle occupant so desires.

The present invention provides a low cost, small cup holder or tray with a selectively deployable telescoping bezel assembly which is versatile in that it can be raised to create a full size cup holder capable of supporting large beverage containers. When support for a large beverage container, or other like item, is no longer needed, the telescoping bezel assembly can be lowered to a stowed condition for a low profile appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention includes a deployable cup holder assembly comprising a housing and a telescoping bezel assembly, wherein the telescoping bezel assembly is movable between a deployed position and a stowed position relative to the housing. The telescoping bezel assembly further comprises a bezel operably coupled to a plurality of support members which are further coupled to the housing. The bezel is supported by the support members in the deployed position. The deployable cup holder assembly further comprises at least one latching mechanism operably coupled to the support members and the housing.

Another aspect of the present invention includes a deployable cup holder assembly comprising a housing having a storage compartment and a rim disposed thereon. The cup holder assembly further comprises a telescoping bezel assembly having at least one support member, wherein the support member is slideably received in at least one aperture disposed on the rim of the housing. The telescoping bezel assembly is vertically movable between deployed and stowed positions relative to the housing. The deployable cup holder assembly further comprises a dampening mechanism adapted to dampen vertical movement of a bezel assembly.

Yet another aspect of the present invention includes a deployable cup holder assembly comprising a stationary housing coupled to a vehicle interior. The cup holder assembly further comprises a telescoping bezel assembly operably coupled to the housing by a plurality of supports, which are slideably received in the housing. The telescoping bezel assembly is movable between a deployed position and a stowed position relative to the housing, thereby creating a slideably coupled arrangement between the housing and the telescoping bezel assembly. The bezel assembly and supports define a cage assembly having spaces disposed between adjacent supports of the plurality of supports. The deployable cup holder assembly further comprises at least one latching mechanism coupled to the supports in the housing for retaining the bezel in both the deployed and stowed positions.

These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present invention will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a deployable cup holder assembly according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a deployable cup holder assembly having a bezel in a stowed condition;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a deployable cup holder assembly having a bezel in a deployed condition;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a deployable cup holder assembly having a bezel in a stowed condition;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a deployable cup holder assembly having a bezel in a deployed condition;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cage assembly; and

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of a cup holder housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be construed as limiting, unless expressly stated otherwise.

For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.

Referring to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 10 generally designates a deployable cup holder assembly for use in a vehicle interior. The cup holder assembly comprises a housing 12 which comprises a top wall or rim 14 having an upper side 16 and a lower side 18 with apertures 20 disposed on the upper side 16 which extend through the rim 14 to the lower side 18. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the housing 12 further comprises a circular bottom wall 22 and a circumferential side wall 24 which connects the bottom wall 22 to the top wall or rim 14. In this way, the side wall 24, bottom wall 22, and top wall 14 define a circular tray or storage compartment 26. The lower side 18 of the rim 14 further comprises connecting members 28, which, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, are L-shaped brackets, for connecting the housing 12 to a desired location in a vehicle interior or console.

The deployable cup holder assembly 10 further comprises a telescoping bezel assembly 30 having a plurality of support members 34 and a bezel 32, which is shown in FIG. 1 in a deployed or extended position. The bezel 32 is operably coupled to the plurality of support members 34 which are further coupled to the housing 12 by being slideably received in apertures 20 disposed on the rim 14 of housing 12. The telescoping bezel assembly 30 is movable between a deployed position (FIG. 1) and a stowed position (FIG. 2), such that the telescoping bezel assembly 30 is configured to move the bezel 32 vertically along a vertical axis of movement as indicated by arrow A. As such, the telescoping bezel assembly 30 is configured in a slideably coupled arrangement with the housing 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the support members 34 further comprise upper and lower detents 36, 38 (FIGS. 1 and 2), which are part of a latching mechanism adapted to retain the telescoping bezel assembly 30 in either the deployed or stowed position as further described below. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the upper detents 36 are shown as scalloped detents disposed on an upper end of the support members 34. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the telescoping bezel assembly 30, including a bezel 32 and three support members 34, defines a cage assembly having spaces 21 disposed between adjacent support members 34.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the telescoping bezel assembly 30 is shown in the stowed position, wherein the bezel 32 is in contact with the upper side 16 of the housing rim 14. As shown in FIG. 2, lower detents 38 are disposed on lower ends of the support members 34. Further disposed on the lower ends of the support members 34 are retainment members 40 which engage the underside or lower side 18 of rim 14 of housing 12 to retain the telescoping bezel assembly 30 in the housing apertures 20. The retainment members 40 are disposed at the lower ends of the support members 34 and are laterally spaced outwardly therefrom, such that, when in the deployed position (FIG. 1), the telescoping bezel assembly 30 cannot be removed from housing 12 as retainment members 40 will engage the lower side 18 of the rim 14 of housing 12 to retain the telescoping bezel assembly 30 when a vehicle occupant tries to remove the bezel assembly 30 vertically from the housing 12.

Referring to FIG. 3, the engagement of the retainment members 40 with the lower side 18 of the rim 14 of housing 12 is shown. Further disposed adjacent the apertures 20 on the lower side 18 of the rim 14 are latching clips 42, which have engagement members 44 disposed at a distal end thereof for engaging the upper and lower detents 36, 38 of the support members 34. The latching clips 42 are resilient latching clips configured to act as a living hinge, wherein the engagement member 44 can engage the upper detents 36 of the support members 34 when the telescoping bezel assembly 30 is in a stowed position, or engage the lower detents 38 when the telescoping bezel assembly 30 is in the deployed position. As specifically shown in FIG. 3, the support members 34 are configured to be elongate support members having an elongate body portion 31, which comprises upper ends 35, lower ends 37, and side walls 39. The upper detents 36 are disposed on a side wall 39 near the upper end 35 of the support member 34. Similarly, the lower detents 38 are disposed on a side wall 39 adjacent the lower portion of the support members 34.

As shown in FIG. 3, the engagement member 44 of latching clip 42 is engaged with the lower detent 38 of the support member 34 located in a central position. In this way, the telescoping bezel assembly 30 is retained in the deployed or extended position. As the telescoping bezel assembly 30 moves along the vertical axis A from the deployed or extended position (FIG. 3) to the stowed position (FIG. 2), the latching clips 42 disposed on the underside 18 of rim 14 of housing 12 are resilient clips and will deform, such that engagement members 44 of the latching clips 42 will disengage with the lower detents 38 of the support members 34 and then impart a frictional force on the side walls 39 of the support members 34 to control or dampen the movement of the support members 34 along the vertical axis of movement A until the telescoping bezel assembly 30 is in the fully stowed position. Once in the stowed position, the engagement members 44 of latching clips 42 will resiliently engage the upper detents 36 disposed on the upper end 35 of support members 34 as the engagement members 44 are biased toward the engaged position. Thus, the bias in the latching clips 42 causes for engagement with the upper and lower detents 36, 38 when aligned therewith. Further, having this biased disposition, the engagement members 44 act as a dampening device for the vertical movement of the telescoping bezel assembly 30 by imparting a force, indicated by arrow F, along the side walls 39 of the support members 34 located between the upper detents 36 and lower detents 38. It is to be understood that the support members 34 and the housing 12 can have a latching mechanism or a dampening mechanism as discussed above, however, it is noted that the support members 34 and the housing 12 can also be slideably engaged without the latching mechanism or dampening mechanism. Further, the latching mechanism and dampening mechanism can be disposed on one, all, or none of the plurality of support members 34. Further, it is noted that the frictional force F can be used to control the movement of the telescoping bezel assembly 30 between deployed and stowed positions. This frictional force imparted by the latching clips 42 on the side walls 39 of the support members 34 can be a sufficient frictional force to retain the telescoping bezel assembly 30 in any position between the stowed position and deployed position. In this way, the embodiment as shown in FIG. 3 comprises a telescoping bezel assembly 30 which moves in a vertical direction that is intuitive to the vehicle occupant and does not require movement along any other axis to provide support for a large beverage container or other like item to be stored.

Referring now to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the deployable cup holder assembly 10 comprises a beveled edge 33 disposed on an underside of the bezel 32. The housing 12 further comprises a corresponding beveled edge 17 disposed between the upper side 16 of rim 14 and the side wall 24 of the housing 12. In this way, the beveled edge 33 of the bezel 32 and the beveled edge 17 of housing 12 correspond to give the telescoping bezel assembly 30 a finished nesting appearance, as shown in FIG. 4, when in a stowed position. As shown in FIG. 4, the latching clips 42 are resiliently engaged with the upper detents 36 of the support members 34 by the interaction of the engagement members 44 with the upper detents 36. In this way, the telescoping bezel assembly 30 is retained in the stowed position. Thus, the upper and lower detents 36, 38 disposed on the upper and lower ends 35, 37 of the side walls 39 of the support members 34 and the latching clips 42 disposed on the underside of the rim 14 of housing 12 define a latching mechanism which can be disposed on any number of support members 34 of the deployable cup holder assembly 10. In this way, the deployable cup holder assembly 10 can have a plurality of latching mechanisms to retain the telescoping bezel assembly 30 in either the stowed or deployed position and also to control or dampen movement of the bezel assembly 30 along the vertical axis of movement A, as described above.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the connecting members 28 disposed on the underside 18 of rim 14 of housing 12 are L-shaped bracket connecting members which are adapted to connect and retain housing12 in a desired location in a vehicle interior or console. It is contemplated that the present deployable cup holder assembly 10 could be disposed in an interior center console assembly or in a rear seat center console assembly. It is also contemplated that a deployable cup holder assembly 10 of the present invention could be disposed in an armrest of a vehicle or anyplace within a vehicle interior where a cup holder is desired. The deployable cup holder assembly 10 of the present invention has an overall low profile in the stowed position, such that it can be positioned in a variety of locations within a vehicle interior while other cup holders that require significant space or a cavity disposed below the cup holder in order to support a large beverage container cannot.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cup holder assembly 10 has a storage compartment 26 which can be used while the telescoping bezel assembly 30 is in a stowed position. When the vehicle occupant wishes to store a beverage, cell phone, or other like item in the deployable cup holder assembly 10, the vehicle occupant can do so by placing the item within the storage compartment 26 without deploying the bezel assembly 30. If a larger beverage needs to be stored in the cup holder assembly 10, or any other item requiring more support, the vehicle occupant can raise the telescoping bezel assembly 30 along the vertical axis of movement A from the stowed position (FIG. 4) to the deployed or extended position (FIG. 5), such that telescoping bezel assembly 30 provides a cage assembly disposed above the storage compartment. When the support for a large beverage or other item is no longer needed, the vehicle occupant can push down on the telescoping bezel assembly 30 to disengage the latching mechanism and move the telescoping bezel assembly 30 to the stowed position to give the deployable cup holder assembly 10 a low profile finished appearance.

The telescoping bezel assembly 30, defining a cage-like configuration in the deployed position (FIG. 1), allows for vehicle occupants to reach or maneuver stored items through the spaces 21 created by the bezel 32, the housing 12, and adjacent support members 34. Other cup holders having a fully solid assembly do not allow for such access and can limit the occupant's ability to retrieve or manipulate stored items.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of the present invention. Specifically, the circular shape of the cup holder shown in the embodiments disclosed herein is for exemplary purposes only and other shapes can be used without departing from the spirit of the invention, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise. 

We claim:
 1. A deployable cup holder assembly, comprising: a housing; a telescoping bezel assembly moveable between a deployed position and a stowed position relative to the housing, comprising; a bezel operably coupled a plurality of support members which are further coupled to the housing, wherein the bezel is supported by the support members in the deployed position; and at least one latching mechanism operably coupled to the support members and the housing.
 2. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 1, wherein: the telescoping bezel assembly moves only along a vertical axis of movement relative to the housing between the deployed position and the stowed position.
 3. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 1, wherein: the housing comprises a storage compartment and a rim disposed about an upper portion of the storage compartment, wherein the rim further comprises an upper side and lower side with apertures extending therethrough for slideably receiving the support members to provide a slideably coupled arrangement between the telescoping bezel assembly and the housing.
 4. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 3, wherein: the support members are elongate support members having an elongate body portion including upper ends, lower ends and sides walls, wherein the lower ends include retainment members that extend outwardly from the support members to engage the lower side of the rim of the housing to retain the telescoping bezel assembly in the slideably coupled arrangement with the housing.
 5. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 4, wherein: the at least one latching mechanism comprises; upper and lower detents disposed on the side walls of the support members; and latching clips disposed on the lower side of the rim of the housing having engagement members adapted to engage the upper or lower detents of the support members to retain the telescoping bezel assembly in either the stowed position or the deployed position.
 6. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 5, wherein: the latching clips are resilient latching clips that can deform to disengage either the upper or lower detents of the support members, and further wherein the latching clips are biased towards an engaged position with either the upper or lower detents when aligned therewith.
 7. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 6, wherein: the latching clips define a dampening mechanism by imparting a frictional force on the side walls of the support members as the telescoping bezel assembly moves between the stowed and deployed positions.
 8. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 3, including: connecting members disposed on the lower side of the rim of the housing adapted to retain the housing in a vehicle interior.
 9. A deployable cup holder assembly, comprising: a housing having a storage compartment and a rim disposed thereon; a telescoping bezel assembly having at least one support member, wherein the support member is slideably received in at least one aperture disposed on the rim of the housing, and further wherein the bezel assembly is vertically movable between deployed and stowed positions; and a dampening mechanism adapted to dampen vertical movement of the bezel assembly.
 10. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 9, wherein: the at least one support member is an elongate support member having an elongate body portion including sides walls, an upper end and a lower end, wherein the lower end includes a retainment member that extends outwardly from the support member to engage a lower side of the rim of the housing to retain the telescoping bezel in a slideably coupled arrangement with the housing.
 11. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 10, wherein: the dampening mechanism includes at least one resilient latching clip disposed on the lower side of the rim of the housing which imparts a frictional force on a side wall of the at least one support member during vertical movement of the telescoping bezel assembly.
 12. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 11, including: a latching mechanism comprising an engagement member disposed on the at least one resilient latching clip adapted to engage upper and lower detents disposed on the side wall of the at least one support member, such that the engagement member will engage the upper detents when the telescoping bezel assembly is in the stowed position and engage the lower detents when the telescoping bezel assembly is in the deployed position.
 13. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 12, wherein: the at least one resilient latching clip is biased towards an engaged position with either the upper or lower detents.
 14. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 9, including: connecting members disposed on the lower side of the rim of the housing adapted to retain the housing in a vehicle interior.
 15. A deployable cup holder assembly, comprising: a stationary housing coupled to a vehicle interior; a telescoping bezel assembly operably coupled to the housing by a plurality of supports slideably received in the housing, wherein the telescoping bezel assembly is moveable between a deployed position and a stowed position relative to the housing thereby creating a slideably coupled arrangement between the housing and telescoping bezel assembly, and further wherein the bezel assembly and supports define a cage assembly having spaces disposed between the plurality of supports; and at least one latching mechanism coupled to the supports and the housing for retaining the bezel in both the deployed and stowed positions.
 16. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 15, wherein: the housing comprises a storage compartment and a rim disposed about an upper portion of the storage compartment, wherein the rim further comprises an upper side and lower side with a plurality of apertures extending therethrough for slideably receiving the plurality of support members.
 17. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 16, wherein: the plurality of support members comprises elongate support members having an elongate body portion including upper ends, lower ends and sides walls, wherein the lower ends include retainment members that extend outwardly from the support members to engage the lower side of the rim of the housing to retain the telescoping bezel assembly in the slideably coupled arrangement with the housing.
 18. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 17, wherein: the at least one latching mechanism comprises; upper and lower detents disposed on the side walls of the support members; and latching clips disposed on the lower side of the rim of the housing having engagement members adapted to engage the upper or lower detents of the support members to retain the telescoping bezel assembly in either the stowed position or the deployed position.
 19. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 18, wherein: the latching clips are resilient latching clips that define a dampening mechanism by imparting a frictional force on the side walls of the plurality of support members as the telescoping bezel assembly moves between the stowed and deployed positions.
 20. A deployable cup holder as set forth in claim 15, wherein: the telescoping bezel assembly moves only along a vertical axis of movement relative to the housing between the deployed position and the stowed position. 